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For those that may not be aware a very active French militaria forum has recently closed due to a number of 'events'. Some members here may have known it as the FIM and, while it was only in the French language, it was a real trove of information on all French medals.

The project aims to reveal the untold story of the Sikh contribution to the First World War, as part of the one hundred years anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities in 2014. The project will also highlight the wider role played by the ‘non-white’ Commonwealth soldiers in this critical phase of British history.

HLF development funding of £39,400 has been awarded to help UKPHA progress their plans to apply for a full grant of £394,000 next year.

The project will, with community input, create a major exhibition at a prestigious central London gallery, featuring interactive displays and an educational kids’ zone as well as a commemorative publication.

Educational packs for schools are also being planned, as is a nationwide programme of outreach events, designed to provide opportunities for members of the public to take part in a number of exciting ways.

In addition, there will be an interactive online project to document Sikh soldiers’ and their families’ stories. Members of the public will be encouraged to undertake their own research into their and others’ family histories to help create the online database, the commemorative publication and exhibition materials.

A major emphasis will be on involving younger people in the project and on involving Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike to explore the remarkable Anglo-Sikh relationship of the last 150 years and how one of modern day Britain’s most recognisable minorities came to be a part of the British Empire.

UKPHA Chair, Amandeep Madra, said: “UKPHA is delighted to have received Heritage Lottery Fund support for our ambitious project. Given the major commemorations that will be taking place nationwide in 2014, this seemed like the appropriate time for the Sikh contribution to be recognised in a fitting way.”

He continued: “The role of Sikhs in the Great War is a largely unknown but a fascinating part of the story of the Allied war effort and indeed ‘the British story’. Sikhs made up a tiny percentage of undivided India and yet at the start of the war contributed some 22% of the British Indian Army. These numbers swelled over the course of the war and Sikhs fought in all the major theatres contested by British forces from the Western Front to the Middle East. UKPHA looks forward to revealing the untold stories of these soldiers and, just as importantly, the families they left behind, and we will be calling on people from all backgrounds to help us in doing so.”

Sue Bowers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, said: “We’re extremely pleased to give initial support to this project. The Sikh contribution to the First World War is a heritage subject of national and international importance but little understood and this will help to address that. We shall watch the developing plans with interest.”

About UKPHA: The UK Punjabi Heritage Association (UKPHA) is a non-profit voluntary organisation based in London. The association was founded in 2001 to foster a greater appreciation of Punjabi Heritage in Britain and encourage the preservation of endangered items of Punjabi material heritage. For more more information visit the UKPHA website.

UKPHA is a registered partner of the Imperial War Museum’s First World War Centenary Project, a network of over 500 local, regional, national and international cultural and educational organisations. Together, they will present a vibrant global programme of cultural events and activities, which will connect current and future generations with the lives, stories and impact of the First World War. More details can be found at the First World War Cetenary website/.

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Not sure if anyone seen this mini bar that sold this weekend but thought I would share it here as it has a nice looking mini Vic along with a nice Russian St Anna Order, something you don't see everyday!!

Tim

Moderator: We need a separate mini-section here where we can combine all the mini singles and bars.

Tim,

I would agree that a separate sub-thread for miniatures would be a good enhancement to the forum. There are some specialist miniature collectors that only collect mini's as they appear to be more easily accessible and cheaper than their full-size counterparts. There has already been a substantial number of miniature items posted here as well as much discussion that could simply be moved into a new sub-thread.

We'll see what the moderator has to say.

Regards,

Rob

Edited 5 hours ago by RobW

(Copied and Moved by Moderator; 10/6/15)

There has already been a substantial number of miniature items posted here as well as much discussion that could simply be moved into a new sub-thread.

We'll see what the moderator has to say.

Regards,

Rob

By "substantial" do you mean the approximately 6 posts of 231 that show mini's - less than 3% of the total - in this British Vic tread? Even the few posts in response don't qualify as "much discussion" in my opinion. Maybe semantics, but I don't see that as substantial. For me, minis are an integral part of the overall discussion on British Vics and should not be separated into a new thread. It's valuable context and breaks up the sometimes long discussion on Types in the thread (don't misunderstand - it's valuable discussion to the specialists, but not all of us are type specialists). Do we break those discussions out for the specialists as well? Full size bars and ribbon bars are reflected throughout the British country-focused thread also. Do full size bars and ribbon bars deserve their own thread too?

It seems to me that would take the Victory Medal forum back to where it was before the structure/organization we have now... Is this new thread to be just for British minis or minis in general - mixing minis from other countries into the same thread as well? Doesn't that go against the structure of the forum as requested some time ago by the collected body to organize all threads about a country's Vics into one topic? The unique combination of types, minis, bars, and ribbons shows a complete story. I believe that is the value of having everything from one country in a topic. It's like having a very thorough and detailed book. Rather than a bunch of separate pamphlets.

So, while a new thread on minis would serve the "specialist miniature collectors that only collect mini's", I don't believe it serves the interest of the broader Victory Medal collecting community.

That's what I have to say... What do others have to say? Should we start breaking apart the country threads into specialized threads?

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Well, I thought we kind of agreed that I would privately canvass members here first and get back to you on this issue before proceeding, maybe I missed something?Five PM’s from various people this morning and I am stuck wondering what happened overnight.

To all others whom it may concern,

I brought this subject up due to the last item I shown in the British section on Victory Medals, something you just don't see and normally wouldn't if you collect singles or if you’re not looking specifically in the British section. IMO, the rare bar brings a whole new dimension into it.

I know there are members that do not collect singles and are more interested in bars and in some cases, collectors that specifically collect minis.Personally, I think it might add to the discussions and be able to better compare like items of interest under one header.Currently, you have to search under the respective country to see anything and I would not see a need to remove those posts already in place, just add a new section where they may be seen under a different view.Those items previously shown in their specific country of origin will, to my belief, make their way into the new section as well because most collectors like to show off and discuss their items.The new topic will build on itself as time goes on.

Some history on the subject if I may as I think it shows my point here,

For those of us who remember the one, original thread on victory medals as it previously existed prior to having its own sub-section of the forum, divided by country; there was one thread, with everything and no organization at all.It was hard searching for particulars in a thread that spanned several pages with no direction.That thread, this one you’re currently reading was a royal pain to use.

Back when I was moderating and first proposed the Victory Medal section, Nick had some of the very same concerns about putting items from various countries into one large group instead of discussing them separately by country of origin but, as you well know, these particular (WW1 Victory) medals have an international flavor of their own and are of interest to a certain group of collectors in particular.It took some time and persuasion on my part to sell the idea to Nick.I think most would agree, by the number of posts and certainly by the numbers of viewership, that it is a rather successful section of GMIC.It certainly does better than other sections of the forum and in many cases outranks many sections combined.

I had originally intended to clean this thread up and move the information into the respective areas but then quit moderating back in 2011 before I could clean the thread up.Honestly, my thoughts in the end were to leave the thread as is due to the difficulty in separating everything and trying to make sense of it afterwards and simply titled it under “General Discussions”.

Back to my recommendations:

I think all that’s needed to do is simply start a new “topic” line and let it go from there. The topic would be specific to medal and ribbon bars and would include full and miniature size medals.Would one topic thread be good enough, or should it be separated between full and mini size medals? Perhaps that's something we would need to discuss but, discussing the issue in this thread, where it might not be seen or read (last post here was from 2013!!) is NOT the way I would address the issue.

I might recommend asking, maybe via a vote, poll, or survey, if others would like a section to show medal/ribbon bars.That section could cover both full size and miniatures.The thing about bars is many get lost in various discussions and bars do seem to attract certain collectors, where singles don't always.

I know it’s hard sometimes as moderator letting things go with collectors starting to veer off in their own directions.Type variations don't really intrigue me as much, unless they show how fakes are progressing.Still, others like that part of collecting.I am a "type" collector but am happy with the standard "official" issues in most cases or, different makers/hallmarks.To each their own and as long as the forum is benefiting, who cares, it’s their hobby as much as mine.

Back when I started this section of the forum, I had thrown out the idea of including the State issued medals and some did not want to have those included in the section, but I added it anyway.I think that section has done as well as many of the other areas thus far and again, brings in guys that collect those specific items.

In closing and as I stated in my opening comments, I have been trying to canvass members that have participated regularly in this section, via PM, on their thoughts regarding the issue and many have not got back to me as of yet.Must remember, we are an international group and many have lives outside this forum, so timely responses are not always the norm here, so we need to be patient.Two members thus far have also shown interest in a separate topic on "award documents or certificates". Though I have not addressed that topic specifically, it might be something worthwhile to add to the discussions as well.

My thoughts anyway, gotta run at the moment.

Tim

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Tim, the issue was brought "public" by another member in the British thread in response to your initial suggestion. Therefore, I decided to open the discussion to the entire membership and not just a selected few in private messaging. As moderator, I should take into account all views. I see your view. And as a member I have my own view, which is a "nay" vote for the reasons stated.

We do not need a poll, but rather an open discussion, which is what we now have...

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Yes, but again, this particular thread is not always read and with 2013 being the last comment date, I image many skip over it.

I would like to continue my canvassing of those that I have asked for their inputs; who knows which way it will go from here. Bottom line, the forum only succeeds if it works for those members participating in it or others that might stumble across this section of GMIC and have interest in WW1 Victory Medals. As far as I am aware, this forum is the only decent online discussion venue for these medals.

Anyway, I am in and out today and will periodically check in as time permits. I encourage all that read and find this section of the forum useful to weigh in with thoughts and ideas.

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Really just saw the message today really my job is becoming very intense in recent months, and I must confess that I am without much time to international collection

I will abbreviate my open answer.

I agree with the proposal suggested by our friend Tim, it greatly enriches the theme and makes it much more detailed and appealing to debates. I believe that knowing more about the miniature and mini groups can attract more people to collect VIC.

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For those that are interested in starting a separate topic header on award documents or certificates, what's wrong with the current topic already listed on (page 2): Victory Medal Award Documents in General

Appears to me that issue is already resolved unless I don't understand the issue fully. Perhaps some didn't realize there is a second page of topics?

Tim

Done, think we are over thinking this and want to be done with it, hopefully no one has issues and honestly, shouldn't as every other section has the same ability for members to add new topics for discussion. Here it is: